The Difference

[Laurasia]

Hello everyone.

I am fairly new to Catholicism & was just wondering what the difference is between a Roman Catholic opposed to a "regular" Catholic? I have never heard of there being a difference until coming here.

Sincerely,
Laurasia

 

[Spence06]

I didn't know there was a difference?

Unless your dealing with the different rites of the Catholic Church, then you may have different names of Catholics, but same beliefs.

To look this up more,
http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm

I hope that helps!

 

[Laurasia]

Hello Spence.

Thanks for the quick response, sweety. Maybe I just misunderstood some things. I thought that there was a difference between the two, but I could be wrong. Hey, it's not the first time I've been wrong. LOL! Thanks again for the speedy response.

Sincerely,
Laurasia

 

[Dream]

I have heard Anglicans sometimes refer to themselves as Catholics...

 

[Paul S]

Laurasia,

That EWTN article's pretty good. Basically, there are 22 churches throughout the world which are Catholic - Roman Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, Maronite Catholic, etc. All of them believe the same things and the head of all of them is the pope, but they vary in how they express their faith. Each Church has its own liturgy and some different rules, but they're all part of the Catholic Church. Roman Catholic refers only to the Western Church; the other churches are all Eastern.

There's also a difference between a church and a rite. A rite is a particular form of liturgy, which a church is the group of believers headed by the bishops. Many of the Eastern churches use the rite of St. John Chrysostom, sometimes in different languages, while the Western church has multiple rites, including the Roman, the Tridentine, the Anglican Use, the Sarum, the Ambrosian, and the Mozarabic.

 

[Laurasia]

Helllo Paul.

So there is a difference.

Thank you very much for the information that you posted.

Sincerely,
Laurasia

 

[raptor13]

I have heard Anglicans sometimes refer to themselves as Catholics...

But they technically arn't, because to be Catholic means to submit to the Pope and Magisterium (like the 22 Rites mentioned above).... and Anglo-Catholics don't.

 

[Dream]

But they technically arn't, because to be Catholic means to submit to the Pope and Magisterium (like the 22 Rites mentioned above).... and Anglo-Catholics don't.

Yes, I know. One time I met this guy who was from England and he said "I didn't realize there are so many Catholics in the US." I was kind of surprised by this statement, but later realized that he was talking about Anglicans. When I said I was Catholic, he thought I meant I was Anglican.

 

[Paul S]

Helllo Paul.

So there is a difference.

Thank you very much for the information that you posted.

Sincerely,
Laurasia

There's a difference in liturgical practices, and sometimes on emphasis (the Eastern churches, like the Orthodox, often prefer to leave things more undefined, whereas the West defines stuff, like transubstantiation), but the beliefs of all the Catholic churches are the same. They aren't different Catholic denominations.

 

[Rising_Suns]

Laurasia, welcome to the boards.

Just so you are aware, there are two meanings to the "Catholic Church"; it is both visible and invisible.

The Visible Catholic Church: The visible confines of the Catholic Church is based in Rome, and as mentioned above, anyone who is part of the visible Catholic Church ultimately submits to the authority of the Bishop of Rome (the pope); this includes the Eastern Rites, as mentioned above, but not the Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, etc.

The Invisible Catholic Church: The invisible Catholic Church is the mystical bride of Christ, which is united with Christ as His body. People who are part of the body of Christ are basically anyone who has surrendered their lives to Christ. This can include those who are not part of the visible Catholic Church, like the Orthodox, Baptists, Lutherans, Anglicans, etc. yet they are imperfectly united to the visible Church.

Also, some Catholics take offense to the term "Roman Catholic", because aparently the word "Roman" was tagged on originally as an insult and a means of dvision. When someone says "Catholic", it usually means they submit to the pope, so the "Roman" tag is not really needed.

Hope this helps. And, welcome to the family.

May the Lord give you His peace!

-Davide

 

[Laurasia]

Thanks to everyone for all of the information that's been given here. I think that I finally understand now. (Especially about the "Roman" Catholic part. I didn't know about any of that. )

Also, thank you Rising Suns for the warm welcome.

Sincerely,
Laurasia

 

[Rising_Suns]

Thanks to everyone for all of the information that's been given here. I think that I finally understand now. (Especially about the "Roman" Catholic part. I didn't know about any of that. )

Also, thank you Rising Suns for the warm welcome.

Sincerely,
Laurasia

Laurasia,
Glad we could help clear that up for you. We are all here for each other, so don't hesitate to ask anything that's on your mind. Enjoy your stay.

May the Lord give you His peace!

-Davide